Columnist

Back in the day, TFF loved the French expression ''Tout nouveau, tout beau'', ''all new, all beautiful''. It is particularly applied when someone new takes over an organisation, and highlights the fact that, initially at least, the appointee is usually lauded for the freshness of their approach. So we have seen with the new Pope, and TFF took a little flak last week for suggesting that, beyond a nice smile and a gentle tone, he seems a little underwhelming. Several asked just what I would have him do?

Thought you'd never ask! If he truly is to be ''a friend of the poor'', I would suggest that lifting the church's ludicrous teachings against birth control might be a good start in lifting many from that poverty.

''A friend of the sick''? I would suggest insisting that AIDS-ravaged populations in Africa use condoms would be a very good start.

''Is going to do all he can to stop sexual abuse''? Great! Throw out the paedophiles the Vatican is harbouring, release the Vatican files detailing abuse, and allow the priests to marry. And if he really is going to guide a church for the 21st century, perhaps sharing power with women might be a great start?

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Born to run and run

TFF attended the sold-out Bruce Springsteen concert on Monday night at Olympic Park and was suitably impressed. Two and a half hours of solid Bruce was very well received and I have to ask: is there another performer in the world with such a relationship with his audience that he could do as Springsteen did and sing the whole of Hungry Heart while surfing above the mosh pit?

Man of influence?

In case you missed it, here was Mark Latham talking about Graham Richardson on Paul Murray's 2UE show on Thursday.

''Why don't people listen to Graham Richardson? I'll give you one good reason - he's the man that walked up to Eddie Obeid once and said: 'Eddie, here, on this platter for you, I've got a seat in the NSW upper house on behalf of the Labor Party.'

''How can the man who put Eddie Obeid into the NSW Parliament be wandering around talking about political judgment, calling the Prime Minister an idiot? The biggest idiot in Labor politics today is the man who put Obeid in Parliament: Graham Frederick Richardson.

''I've had a gutful of the bloke who was a paid lobbyist for Ron Medich, who got into scandals about Swiss bank accounts. How can you say you're a Labor man when you've set up Swiss bank accounts? Swiss bank accounts! And he worked for Kerry Packer. It's shameful that this man has any reputation, the man who set up the wheeling and dealing, 'whatever it takes' culture in the modern Labor Party. He's the bloke who wrecked the place and … he should crawl back under the rock from which he came.''

As we say in the trade, he didn't miss him!

Fondest farewells

My thanks to all those readers, particularly Vietnam veteran Mike Dutton of Kempsey, who sent in moving epitaphs from the graves of Australian soldiers around the world. One was from a grave at El Alamein, on which it is written: ''Sleep on dear Son. In a far off land. In a grave I may never see.''